Some days it’s more difficult than other to find things to be thankful for. Day by day, there are new challenges, strange difficulties, unanswered questions. I often reflect on our choice to move 1,200 miles from home, especially now that our family is growing. Though we wish we were closer to our families, this was the right thing for us. For that, I am grateful.

I am thankful for how richly we have been blessed, and how we continue to be. We always have more than enough and those times we thought we might not, God has provided in amazing ways. I try to remind myself of these things when I start thinking about (or worrying about) difficult relationships, whether we’ll ever be able to achieve our goals together or my individual goals, how quickly life passes by. It would be easier to wave a magic wand and make everything right, but I can’t — life comes with challenges, and I try to meet them in honorable and kind ways.

I am thankful for so much:
- a baby on the way (after years of preparing myself for potential infertility)
- the ability to use my skills and talents in my jobs
- the opportunity to teach, and all the joys and challenges that come with it
- that God brought me through this year in one piece, after several moments of not knowing if I could go on
- that Christ died for me and knows me and loves me
-the home where we live and our pets, who make me nuts and make me smile in equal portion
- the constant newness of life, that there is always something new to learn and to do
- not having to rush to the next thing but recognizing that each moment is meaningful, even the painful ones
- my family and Adam’s family
- Adam, who I love more than I have the capacity to express and who loves me even when I am at my (hormonally) worst

Have a blessed Christmas!